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Glucuronolactone, also known as D-Glucuronolactone, DGL and D-Glucoronic Acid, is an organic metabolite found in the body. A metabolite is a substance that results from the metabolism of glucose in the human liver. This water-soluble crystalline compound has been made a common component in stimulants and energy drinks like Red Bull owing to research which revealed that DGL can boost energy, lessen sleepiness and increase alertness and reaction time. An Austrian study has also shown that glucuronolactone positively impacts human mental performance and mood when taken with taurine and caffeine.

The human liver naturally produces glucuronolactone from glucose and controls glycogen formation. With glucuronic acid as its immediate precursor, it is used for the oral administration of the said acid in the treatment of collagen and joint diseases. It is one of the basic units of and an element of Chondroitin Sulfate and is considered by some experts to be beneficial in making joint, tendon and ligament healthy and elastic. It has also been used in medicine as an antiarthritic agent it being a vital structural component of almost all fibrous and connective tissues in animals.

DGL also has a direct participation in detoxifying the liver through glucuronidation. The body carries this substance which hastens and stimulates the removal of the harmful substances endogenic and exogenic noxal. Glucuronidation aids in the elimination of medicines from the body. In the process, the medicines typically consume glucuronolactone faster than the body can naturally produce it, and so diminishing the concentrations of other substances like glycogen. Hence, DGL has been incorporated to some medicines to increase their tolerance level and improve their elimination.